Skin movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Skin

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

Based on a true story, this dramatic movie written and directed by Guy Nattiv offers a powerful look at insane ignorance, ugly racism, violence, and redemption. It’s a horrifying and heartbreaking story that is difficult to watch.

Daryle Lamont Jenkins (played by Mike Colter) runs the One People’s Project, an anti-hate organization that helps white supremacists who try to leave their group and begin a new life. His father’s motto was “I take human garbage and I turn it into human beings.” Garbage, indeed. If you want to take a peek inside the gutter, this film will gladly take you there, but you’ll leave with greater understanding and hope. It’s a sobering look at how some people live. Live doesn’t seem to be the right word.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This film is rated R in every way and definitely not for children to watch.
Lots of violence with various weapons and hand-to-hand combat
Racism
People get hurt in riots
You watch people get tattoos.
You hear sounds and see faces during two sexual encounters.
Lots of name-calling and racial slurs about many different groups.
Profanity and a zillion F-bombs.
Alcohol
You see someone throw up
You see full frontal and rear nudity of a man.
You see a naked man sitting on a toilet.
Dog fight and a dog gets hung
Adults and children in perilous situations
Some brutal deaths
Some criminal activities
Belonging

THEMES:

Redemption
Racism
Hatred
Intolerance
Dysfunctional families
Love
Hope
People CAN change.
Guilt

THINGS I LIKED:

British actor Jamie Bell is absolutely fantastic. It’s hard to believe he’s the same actor who starred as the young Billy Elliot. Do I hear Oscar nomination?
Danielle MacDonald did an excellent job as the strong mother bear who tries really hard to protect her three daughters. Good for her for putting her children first in her life.
Equally great was Bill Camp’s performance as a truly evil man.
I love the layered meaning of the title. Skin refers to how people judge one another’s value, the tattoos, the skinhead white supremacists, and the skin that must be shed in order to create a new life. Did I leave anything out?
The Southern Poverty Law Center gets a shout-out. THE SPLC partnered with the One People’s Project to help Bryon Widner in real life.
Anyone thinking about getting a tattoo should probably see this movie. I’ve heard that tattoo removal is extremely painful, and the film illustrates both the external and internal pain of the transformation.
I think Acadamy Award-nominee Vera Farmiga is great in everything she does. I’ve never seen her in a role quite like this before!
You get to see real footage of some of the actual people who experienced the story. I always love that.
This is Israeli director Guy Nattiv’s first feature film in the United States. Well done. He must think that America is nuts.
The hand-held camera worked to add a gritty feeling to certain scenes. I was grateful that it wasn’t the shaky-cam effect, which always makes me dizzy and annoyed.
The movie actually gets you to root for a Neo-Nazi. Crazy, right?
I wanted to yell “No! Don’t do it!” when the young Sean (played by Scott Thomas) was lured into the skinhead group.
I’ve always liked Mary Stuart Masterson. Too bad she had such a small role.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Wow, such hatred. It’s a hard movie to watch.
Years ago, my husband met some mean-looking biker dudes who described themselves as belonging to a social club. We thought they were joking, but that really is what they call it.
It’s soul-wrenching to see what the little girls had to go through. The three young actresses did a really good job: Zoe Colletti, Kylie Rogers, Colbi Gannett.
No humor. This is a serious film.
There is some time-jumping that might confuse some viewers. Personally, I liked that storytelling format.
Some of the over-the-top, melodramatic events in the movie didn’t actually occur in real life.
There is a moment when one of the characters becomes more upset over a dog’s death than he does over any of the human lives he has taken. We’re supposed to feel the same way, but it was a no-go for me.

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